by Laura K. Curtis | Nov 25, 2013 | Crafts, Freebies & Giveaways |
Yesterday’s bracelet design was abstract. Today’s is more garden-themed. I made these green glass beads with purple flowers on them early in my beadmaking career. They’re very simple, but I still love them. They’re combined here with sterling silver beads and clasp from Bali and tiny, purple Swarovski crystals. Bring a little spring into your winter with this bracelet that fits approximately a 6.5″ wrist.
It’s cheap to ship these little bracelets, so this one’s a worldwide giveaway.
Don’t forget that to enter the giveaway, you have to click the “+1″ buttons on the Rafflecopter, not just comment, get mailing list, etc.
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by Laura K. Curtis | Nov 24, 2013 | Crafts, Freebies & Giveaways |
Today I am giving away another handmade bracelet. I actually made the glass beads in this piece and the reason the bracelet is so small (again, 6.25″ wrist) is that I only made three! They are copper dichroic glass, and I’ve combined them here with sterling silver beads from Thailand and small copper washers. The clasp is sterling from Bali. The silver has a patina on it, which I think goes well with the copper, but if you win and decide to polish it to shiny, go with a polishing cloth, not a dip.
And, hey, you don’t need to be in the USA to win! Enter at will!
Don’t forget that to enter the giveaway, you have to click the “+1″ buttons on the Rafflecopter, not just comment, get mailing list, etc.
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by Laura K. Curtis | Nov 23, 2013 | Books, Romance |
If you follow me on Twitter, you probably also know @meganf and @isobelcarr. What you may not know is that both of these wonderful ladies write historical romances! You may also not have known that historical gentlemen ran around bare-chested. But hey, if they look like these guys… no, just kidding.
What Not to Bare:
- Lady Charlotte Jepstow certainly knows how to make an impression—a terrible one. Each one of her ball gowns is more ostentatiously ugly than the one before. Even she has been forced to wonder: Is she unmarried because of her abysmal wardrobe, or does she wear clashing clothing because she doesn’t want to be pursued in the first place? But when Charlotte meets Lord David Marchston, suddenly a little courtship doesn’t sound so bad after all.
- David will be the first to admit he’s made some mistakes. But when he gets yanked from his post by his superiors, he is ordered to do the unthinkable to win back his position: woo his commander’s niece. If David wants his life back, he must use his skills as a negotiator to persuade society that Charlotte is a woman worth pursuing, despite her rather unusual “flair” for color. But David does such a terrific job that he develops an unexpected problem, one that violates both his rakish mentality and his marching orders: He’s starting to fall in love.
Ripe for Seduction:
- A secret society of younger sons, sworn to aid and abet each other, no matter the scandal or cost . . .
- After the scandalous demise of her marriage, Lady Olivia Carlow knows the rakes of the ton will think her fair game. So when a letter arrives bearing an indecent offer from the incorrigible Roland Devere, she seizes the opportunity. Turning the tables on the notorious rogue, she blackmails him into playing her betrothed for the season. But no matter how broad his shoulders or chiseled his features, she will never fall prey to his suave charm.
- When Roland boasted he’d be the first into Lady Olivia’s bed, he couldn’t have imagined that behind those brilliant blue eyes lurked a vixen with a scheme of her own. Still, Roland is not about to abandon his original wager. If anything, learning that the lovely Olivia is as bold as she is beautiful makes him more determined to seduce her into never saying “never” again.
I’m giving away both of these hot historicals in ebook form to take you on a trip back to the past.
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by Laura K. Curtis | Nov 22, 2013 | Freebies & Giveaways, Stuff! |
When I was young, I really wanted to wear makeup. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t even wash my hands with liquid soap because I was so allergic to whatever chemical made it “liquid.” If I tried to wear blush, I got a rash on my cheeks. Eye makeup would make my lids swell. I could wear a little lip gloss, but that was it. So I never really learned how to wear makeup. It’s still a big production for me to put it on (and I still have to be very careful about the brands I use), but I still yearn for it. So when I saw this kit by Beaute Basics, I thought about how very, very much I wanted it and what a terrible idea it would be, and knew I’d found my next giveaway.
Don’t forget that to enter the giveaway, you have to click the “+1″ buttons on the Rafflecopter, not just comment, get mailing list, etc.
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by Laura K. Curtis | Nov 21, 2013 | Books, Freebies & Giveaways |
If you know me, you know I don’t read YA. In fact, I even wrote a rant more than two years ago about how I am tired of people telling me “oh, you have to read this great YA.” But here’s the thing. Two years ago, my nieces were kids. Now they’re the market for YA fiction. So while it’s still not my thing, I have been trying to read more so that I know what to buy for them. Mostly, the books they read fall into a couple of categories: dystopian and “daily life.” So today I am giving away two YA books by a friend of mine, Bria Quinlan, that fall into the “daily life” category. (And the “romance” category because, face it, I love romance!) Because I am assuming you’ll want to give these to someone else, I’ll be sending the physical books unless you specifically tell me you want ebooks.
So if you, or some young person you know likes to read, this is one not to miss! Don’t forget that to enter the giveaway, you have to click the “+1” buttons on the Rafflecopter, not just comment, get mailing list, etc.
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by Laura K. Curtis | Nov 20, 2013 | Crafts, Freebies & Giveaways |
Back in the day when I used to make beads, I went to a lot of trade shows. And at many of them, I would big bead my beads for other people’s beads, or just outright buy beads. I was completely addicted to Swarovski crystals, especially the vintage ones. A friend of mine and I would go in on box lots and vintage cases (these often came 12 beads to a case) and we’d sit in the hotel room laying them out on the bed and watching all the pretty colors sparkle.
Anyway, I still have a goodly number of Swarovski crystals, and even some of the vintage ones. The smaller blue-black cubes on these earrings are modern, but the all the rest are pre-1980. The fittings are all sterling silver. Perfect for those formal occasions!
Don’t forget that if you already belong to the mailing list, tweet, or leave a comment on the website, you need to click the Rafflecopter entry form to get your “+1” entry!
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by Laura K. Curtis | Nov 19, 2013 | Crafts, Freebies & Giveaways, Stuff!, Writing |
I know, I know, you’re fed up with me jumping up and down and shouting about Twisted. I don’t blame you. But today it’s out! *tosses confetti*
You can read an excerpt or see the hilarious Lego trailer on the Twisted page. But enough about that…back to the giving!
Today, I am giving away something really cool. Many of you know that I like to write with fountain pens. I think more people should try it, so I am giving away a set of Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pens in black, blue, pink, purple, turquoise, red and green. There’s also a nifty leather carrying case! Under normal circumstances, this set is exclusive to Levenger, as far as I know. So cool, right?
Pilot Fountain Pen giveaway
by Laura K. Curtis | Nov 18, 2013 | Books, Crafts, Freebies & Giveaways |
Today we have a guest post (and guest giveaway!) from Deb Lacy of the fabulous Mystery Playground blog. Deb has great posts (I’m particularly fond of her speakeasy-themed ones). If you’re looking for vintage mystery covers, speakeasies around the nation, reviews, or just an all-around good time, I highly recommend checking it out.
I love books of all kinds so a few crafty friends and set out to make little book earrings. They are pretty easy to make and all of the directions are below. They make a great activity for a book club (if your book club is crafty) or fun and different holiday gifts. But if you don’t want to make them yourself, I’m giving away the pair at left to one lucky winner!
What you need:
1) Miniature books (I got mine from Hobby Lobby online)
2) Glue
3) Gold marker
4) Print outs of pulp covers (you can use the Mystery Playground Pinterest board for mystery covers, just shrink them to 25% when you print them in color.
5) Earring hooks. You need two hooks for each book earring for a total of four per pair. (You need one to glue inside the book to attach it and one for the actual earring.)
6) Wire cutters
7) Scissors to cut out the book covers from the Pinterest page
Step One:
Print your color covers from Pinterest and then cut them out. I used my pulp fiction cover Pinterest board and printed them out at 25% of normal size. Some of the covers weren’t the right size, so we just used the ones that were.
Step Two:
Glue the book covers onto the little books.
Step Three:
Take the gold marker and cover the page ends of the books so it looks like an old book with gold leaf.
Step Four:
Snip an earring hook with wire cutters and glue it into the book.
Step Five:
Assemble the earrings: this just involves connecting the earring hook in the book. I like to add a few beads using a wire wrapping technique.
And your book earrings are all done.
But, as I said, just in case you’re too busy to do these yourself, Deb’s kindly agreed to give a pair to one lucky winner! The perfect thing to wear to your next book night or conference!
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by Laura K. Curtis | Nov 17, 2013 | Crafts, Freebies & Giveaways |
Today’s giveaway is perfect for all the parties you simply must attend. Bright red dichroic glass with hints of purple, green, and even gold, this ring and earring set has sterling silver bases so as not to irritate your skin. The ring is adjustable (it’s “medium”, but as you can see from the side shot, you can just clamp it more or less closed to fit) and the earrings are posts.
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by Laura K. Curtis | Nov 16, 2013 | Books, Freebies & Giveaways |
2013 is almost over and I have to say that one of my favorite books of the whole year was one I read in January! Actually, I think I read it BEFORE January, but it was released in January. The cover copy of Crazy Thing Called Love reads:
Dallas TV morning show host Madelyn Cornish is poised, perfect, and unflappable, from her glossy smile to her sleek professionalism. No one knows that her iron will guards a shattered heart and memories of a man she’s determined to lock out. Until that man shows up at a morning meeting like a bad dream: Billy Wilkins, sexy hockey superstar in a tailspin—still skating, still fighting, and still her ex-husband.
Now the producers want this poster child for bad behavior to undergo an on-air makeover, and Billy, who has nothing to lose, agrees to the project. It’s his only chance to get near Maddy again, and to fight for the right things this time around. He believes in the fire in Maddy’s whiskey eyes and the passion that ignites the air between them. This bad-boy heartbreaker wants a last shot to be redeemed by the only thing that matters: Maddy’s love.
I loved, loved, loved this book despite the fact that I am not much for reunion romances in general. (I’ve often said that about O’Keefe, actually — I’ll read whatever she writes because even when she uses dusty old tropes she makes them sparkle like new.)
And today, I am doing a two-fer. The winner of today’s giveaway will also get the Going All In hockey romance anthology by Cassandra Carr, Isabo Kelly, and Stacey Agdern. I own this one, but haven’t read it yet. (Yes, I am behind on my reading as usual.)
Cover copy for this anthology sounds perfect, though…
HEDGING HIS BET: Cassandra Carr
Marcus Mitchell never thought he’d find the love of his life with champagne dripping from her shirt, but you can’t always plan these things. Annalise Alonso isn’t going to make it easy for him, though—he’s going to have to work for her love. Now, Marcus is taking a shot and hedging his bet on love.
CASTING THE DIE: Isabo Kelly
After she sees his murder in a vision, Nathalie Mendez knows she has to warn star hockey goalie Alexander Semenov of the danger. To keep him alive, she risks exposing her many secrets. But once the die is cast, her biggest gamble could be her heart.
PLAYING HER GAME: Stacey Agdern
Melanie Gould writes about passionate relationships, but keeps people at a distance…except when she’s promoting her books. Of course, she’s never gone head to head with a guy like Chris Emerson. Unfortunately, Chris is trying to behave, and someone like Melanie would destroy his plans to stay under the radar. So what happens when the woman the media has dubbed the ‘Girl in the Lace Corset’ and the NHL’s most infamous bad boy go one on one? Will they play her game? Will they play his? Or will they both end up in the penalty box?
‘Tis the season to stay warm with hot hockey players!
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Yesterday’s bracelet design was abstract. Today’s is more garden-themed. I made these green glass beads with purple flowers on them early in my beadmaking career. They’re very simple, but I still love them. They’re combined here with sterling silver beads and clasp from Bali and tiny, purple Swarovski crystals. Bring a little spring into your winter with this bracelet that fits approximately a 6.5″ wrist.
